Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

News

Survey: Few Americans Want to Leave Confederate Monuments as They Are, but Divides Over Solutions Persist by Party, Race, Religion

PRNewswire/ — A new national survey conducted jointly by Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) and E Pluribus Unum finds nearly three-quarters of Americans (73%), including 89% of Democrats, 75% of independents, and 51% of Republicans, support doing something about existing Confederate memorials and statues in public spaces—whether that’s re-contextualizing them with information about the history of slavery and racism, moving them to a museum, or destroying them—rather than leaving them as they are.

“Race, religion, and political affiliation strongly color the lens through which Americans view our past and its legacy today,” says Robert P. Jones, president and founder of PRRI. “Yet, the broad support for honest conversations about our shared history, repairing the damages of historic racism, and reimagining our public spaces to embrace everyone can offer a road map for how and what our communities choose to honor in the future.”

When respondents were asked about preserving the legacy of the Confederacy, the partisan and religious divides are deeper. A slim majority of Americans (51%) support preserving Confederate history through public memorials and statues. Republicans overwhelmingly back efforts to preserve the legacy of the Confederacy (85%), compared with less than half of independents (46%) and only a quarter of Democrats (26%). Religion also plays a role in support for preserving the Confederate legacy, with white Christian groups more likely to express support than non-Christian religious Americans, Jewish Americans, or the religiously unaffiliated.

Support for Confederate monuments is positively correlated with views about the existence of structural racism—the idea that slavery and past discrimination continue to have effects today. Those supportive of keeping Confederate monuments or preserving the legacy of the Confederacy are also likely to deny the existence of structural racism.

Americans’ awareness of and support for Confederate memorials, statues and other commemorative symbols frequently diverge along both partisan and racial/ethnic lines, with Black Americans often holding views distinct from other groups. Meanwhile, at least nine out of ten Republicans, compared with about four in ten Democrats, see each of these as a manifestation of Southern pride, rather than of racism.

Almost all Americans (90%) say they support efforts to tell the truth about the history of slavery, violence, and discrimination against racial minorities in their communities, including 84% of Republicans. Additionally, three quarters of Americans (74%) support repairing the damage done by past violence or discrimination against racial minorities, including more than half of Republicans (52%).

“The impact of the Confederacy extends far beyond its former geographic borders. Still, while Americans experience issues around race differently, there is often more common ground than we realize,” says Scott Hutcheson, managing director of E Pluribus Unum. “Identifying what unites us will help us find solutions to undo the legacy of slavery and racism and move toward building more inclusive and equitable communities.”

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

The full report, Creating More Inclusive Public Spaces: Confederate Memorials, Structural Racism, and Building for the Future, is available at prri.org.

About PRRI

PRRI is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to conducting independent research at the intersection of religion, culture, and public policy.

About E Pluribus Unum

Founded by former New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu in 2018, E Pluribus Unum (EPU) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization whose mission is to build a more equitable and inclusive South, uprooting the barriers that have long divided the region by race and class. 

Advertisement

Featured

Event

Welcome to The New Renaissance and another edition of SWAAM Spoken Word Art & Music The Barbara Morrison Performing Arts Center | 4305 Degnan...

Business Highlight

Nation’s Largest Black-Owned Bank Pioneers Artificial Intelligence Tool to Close the Racial Wealth Gap OneUnited Bank, the nation’s largest Black-owned bank, unveils WiseOne® Insights, a revolutionary...

You May Also Like

Event

L.A. Times 101 Best Restaurants List reveal event featuring bites from LA’s top restaurants, plus beer, wine, and spirits tastings. Click here for tickets...

News

Cristina Jones, Pledging to Expand the Organization’s Mission of Launching Black Girls in STEAM Black Girls Code is thrilled to introduce Cristina Jones as their new...

Lifestyle

New Tampax Period Education survey finds 68% of Gen Z women & girls say they received little or no period education before their period...

Event

Wed Nov 15th 2023 6:00pm The Gathering Spot LA, 5211 West Adams Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90016, USA  map   Click here for tickets Build...